Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked President Trump to immediately deploy a United States Navy hospital ship to the Port of Los Angeles to help beef up the health care delivery system in the region amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.

Stationing the USNS Mercy Hospital Ship at the port through Sept. 1, Newsom said, would help to “decompress” the health care system in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.

“As you know, California has been disproportionately impacted by repatriation efforts over the last few months,” Newsom wrote to Trump in a Wednesday, March 18, letter. “Our state and health care delivery system are significantly impacted by the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases.”

The ship, he said, would take on patients and help address critical acute care needs, including heart attacks, strokes or car accidents “in addition to the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases.”

Newsom’s letter came the same day Jonathan Rath Hoffman, assistant to the defense secretary for public affairs, said during a news conference at the Pentagon that both the Mercy and the USNS Comfort were being prepared to help during the coronavirus pandemic. The Comfort will go to New York once maintenance on it is complete, Hoffman said, according to the Department of Defense.

The Mercy is on the West Coast and could be ready to go in a matter of days, he added.

But Air Force Brig. Gen. Paul Friedrichs, a medical doctor and the Joint Staff surgeon, said during that same press conference that both ships’ staffs will be trained for combat casualty care and not contagious diseases.

Newsom noted in his letter that the population density in the L.A. region is similar to New York City, where the Comfort is headed.

Los Angeles County has 10.1 million people living in it and population density of 2,518 per square mile, according to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data.

News of Newsom’s letter, meanwhile, came after Carnival Corporation announced Thursday, March 19, that it is moving quickly to make between 10 and 15 of its now-anchored cruise ships available to use as temporary hospitals during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Carnival, said company spokeswoman Jenny Love in an email, will make the ships “immediately available” as soon as they are prepared and staffed with crew members.

Between 10 and 15 ships, she added, could be made available “almost immediately” after provisioning and staffing, depending on needs, requests and locations. The brands will include Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and P&O Cruises Australia.

The ships would provide up to 1,000 beds each, according to a Carnival news release, to treat non-COVID-19 patients.

Similar to land-based facilities, the release added, the ships can house multiple medical functions on the various decks. The rooms also offer bathroom facilities, private balconies “with access to sun and fresh air,” and isolation capabilities as needed, according to the news release.

The announcement comes as health officials worry about the growing demand for hospital beds as the virus spreads.

Hospitals throughout the region were preparing triage tents outside facilities to screen patients that potentially have the virus. Out of 96 private hospitals reporting occupancy in the county, there are 22,000 hospital beds including 2,200 intensive-care-unit beds. As of Wednesday, there were about 150 ICU beds open or available, according Dr. Christina Ghaly, the county’s director of Health Services.

No locations have been announced yet for the Carnival ships that will later come on line. Carnival, though, regulars docks at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the first and second largest ports in the nation.

“Details of locations will be determined as authorities determine their exact needs and what locations would be most helpful in providing temporary relief for their hospital systems,” Love said in the email about the operation ahead. “Those needs will be matched up with brands and specific ships to be used as temporary hospitals. Once specific needs are determined, we will be able to provide additional details.”

The temporary hospital ships, she said, would be berthed at a pier near the community in need. All maritime operations, food and beverage and cleaning services would be provided by crew members on the ship. Medical services would be provided by the branch of government or hospital responsible for fighting the spread of the virus within that community.

Carnival along with the other major lines all suspended cruises for between 30 and 60 days in announcements made March 12 and 13.

Gene Seroka, the executive director of the Port of L.A., said in a statement that the port will cooperate during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Port of Los Angeles,” he said, “will work with local and state agencies as well as the federal government to assist in this public health crisis.”

A Long Beach spokeswoman, meanwhile, said she wasn’t aware of any official conversation about putting converted hospital crusie ships in its portion of the harbor.

But, said spokeswoman Jennifer De Prez, Long Beach “would continue to explore any options that can benefit the city.”

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Donna Littlejohn has covered the Harbor Area as a reporter since 1981. Along with development, politics, coyotes, battleships and crime, she writes features that have spotlighted an array of topics, from an alligator on the loose in a city park to the modern-day cowboys who own the trails on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. She loves border collies and Aussie dogs, cats, early California Craftsman architecture and most surviving old stuff. She imagines the 1970s redevelopment sweep that leveled so much of San Pedro's historic waterfront district as very sad.

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